


Lost and Found

by gghero



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Ruby & Sapphire & Emerald | Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Emerald Versions
Genre: Blood, M/M, bad language, death mentions, hardenshipping - Freeform, injuries, super fluff at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-13 00:57:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3361871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gghero/pseuds/gghero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes you don't know what you have until you lose it. A life lesson Archie and Maxie have seemed to forget and have to learn again the hard way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Fall

**Author's Note:**

> I was planning to post this yesterday but my computer's internet broke down (?) someone shoot me in the face.
> 
> Anyways special thanks to Adri and my friend/crush for beta-reading this, my sister for giving advice on rock-climbing vocabulary and basically all my friends for having to deal with me blubbering about this for weeks.
> 
> This takes place sometime after OR/AS events. Maxie and Archie are a married couple here for one or two years.  
> The story changes POV between Archie and Maxie constantly, but don't worry, there's a dash separating them so it shouldn't be difficult to differentiate them

"I decided to go on my own. I’ll be back after dinner. Don’t wait up for me."

 Archie sighed in frustration as he read the sticky note Maxie had left him in the fridge. The short, concise sentences oozed bitterness, barely a vestige of the anger the redhead had expressed during the heated argument they had had the night before. Looking around the living room, the buff, dark-skinned man spotted the neatly-folded blanket on the sofa where his husband had slept. He supposed he had set off early in the morning, careful not to wake him up.

“Damn it, Maxie...” he sighed again, running a hand through his hair, “you always gotta have the final say, don’t you?”

If you ask him, it hadn’t been his fault this time. All he did was commenting on how he didn’t feel like accompanying Maxie this time to the hiking excursion he had planned for the weekend. Then things got out of hand, what with the redhead quickly remarking that almost all of their past trips had been to the coast, then the brunette replying that all Maxie did during those was complaining...

It all ended with an exasperated Maxie refusing to speak to him and choosing to sleep on the couch. No one could beat his husband in stubbornness, thought Archie bitterly, remembering the fight as he helped himself some cereal for breakfast. He put the bowl down with a loud thud. The house felt incredibly silent. Gone was the sound of his significant other as he turned the pages of the newspaper and commented with surprise, curiosity or indignation on every different piece of news while sipping on his morning coffee. Archie felt lonely, but shaking his head, he returned back to his annoyance. He wouldn’t give this one to him, that was for sure.

* * *

 “I don’t need him. I’m fine on my own,” Maxie repeated mentally to himself as he went across the rocky path near Mt. Chimney.

The redhead was still mad at his husband for being so inconsiderate.

He had planned the trip so they could have a nice break in the middle of the nature. But no, the stubborn man had to refuse the night before, alleging a sudden loss of interest. Maxie wouldn’t have minded – well, maybe a bit – if Archie had told him earlier. But he was so excited about it that the apathetic excuse he got in response had broken his heart. He was furious, and he hadn’t hesitated to make his spouse know of it, and that lead to a heated fight which no one had really won.

“I’m not going to budge an inch,” he spoke to himself, louder than he intended to. “I’m not forgiving him so easily.”

Reaching the top of the trail, he observed the breathtaking views from there, and his anger subsided a bit. Gazing at the incredible landscape, in a location somewhat hidden from the main path, he spotted an ideal wall for rock climbing. His hand reached unconsciously at his backpack, where his ropes, anchors and other equipment awaited to be used. He had brought everything with him just in case, as he usually did when treading the Jagged Pass. Climbing always lifted his spirits, it gave him the feeling of being in control. He _needed_ to feel that rush of adrenaline so he could clear his mind. He descended the hill towards the rocky formation and proceeded to check its state. It seemed like previous climbers had been there and had left their anchors. Without thinking further of it, he took out the ropes from his backpack. He’d be climbing it solo.

* * *

 The modulated voice of Shelly came from Archie’s MultiNav, the low buzzing sound of the running device mixing with her words.

“You know that’s just him. And you should know by now he’d react that way.”

“You too, Shelly? Are you on his side?” Archie pouted, a bit disappointed that his friend didn’t share his point of view.

 “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Archie, this isn’t about taking sides. You’re always clashing because both of you’re the people with the most inflated ego and least likely to give in I’ve met in my life,” the girl openly reprimanded her friend.

Her words were blunt, but she told it like it was, and that’s what Archie liked about her. But in that moment it was making him feel exasperated. With a vague farewell, he hung up and turned off the MultiNav, and the room suddenly went dark again. Huffing in defeat, he checked the clock that hung from the wall opposite to him. Almost half past ten in the night.

Getting up from the couch, he walked into the kitchen. The dishes from dinner were in the sink, waiting to be washed. It had been almost an hour he’d finished eating. In the note it wasn’t written the exact time Maxie would be back, and that made him feel more and more concerned as minutes ticked by. Suddenly, he heard a high-pitched cry from behind. It was Maxie’s Mightyena, which had walked in the kitchen after him as if asking where his owner was for the umpteenth time that day.

“Hey, buddy.” Archie smiled, kneeling down and scratching the pokémon behind the ears. “I’m afraid Max hasn’t come back yet.”

Mightyena cried again, a sad look on her face as she put her tail between her legs.

“C’mon, don’t cry. He’s okay, he’s going to open that door from a moment to another and come in, tired from his day out...” Archie comforted the pokémon, petting her neck gently, his voice beginning to break “and then he’s going to act as if I’m not here, and he will not speak to me... because he’s angry. Because _I_ made him angry.”

His voice faded away, barely a whisper that managed to go trough the lump in his throat. He stood up and rushed out of the kitchen as Mightyena gave him a look of concern. Reaching for his MultiNav, he dialed Maxie’s number, and stood there, vacillating for a few moments before pressing “Call”. 

“What if I fucked up real bad this time?” He thought to himself, the beeping sound of the MultiNav echoing in the empty room monotonously. “What if he doesn’t want to come back and... and I don’t see him ever again?” 

Clenching his teeth, Archie awaited for an answer.

Five beeps.

Six.

Seven, eight.

The automatic responder informing that the dialed number was switched off or out of coverage.

A cold shiver ran down his spine. His grip on the device loosened and his eyes opened as it struck him hard.

The terrible feeling that he _wouldn’t_ see him again.


	2. Shattering Into A Million Pieces

His head dizzy, Maxie slowly opened his eyes, but he couldn’t see anything at all inside the dim chamber. Only a few blurry stars above his head shone in the night sky, visible through the small hole from where he had fallen. He didn’t want to move. He knew something was going to hurt horribly if he did so. But he had to. With a slow motion, the redhead tried to stand up, but a sharp pain on his left arm when he used it as support made him reconsider it. Instead, he sat up and examined the injury. His jacket was ripped open and a bloody trail ran down his side, dripping from an open wound near his shoulder. The grotesque sight and the strong smell of fresh blood made him feel nauseous, sending a new wave of dizziness to his brain. Trying to keep calm, he reacted quickly and pressed some cloth he tore up from the jacket on the wound. Hopefully, that would do.

Trying then to move his legs, he found his right one unable to move. Broken. Putting his good hand over his face – the glasses weren’t there, he noticed – he let out a sigh of frustration and pain.

Squinting over the dark cave, he found some broken glass and a crooked metallic rim still attached to some of the shards – great, he had found his glasses. Looking up, he could see the wall he had been climbing. It all had happened so fast... A wrong move, an anchor detaching from the rock and a painful fall through unstable ground was everything he could remember before blacking out.

How many hours had passed? He couldn’t tell. Maxie rushed to look at his watch, which still seemed to work. Almost midnight.

His heart missed a bit as he uttered his name aloud: “ _Archie_.”

Panic flooding his brain, the redhead looked everywhere for his backpack. It had fallen a few steps from where he lay, but it was enough distance for being out of his reach. No one was around for sure at that time, and who knew what dangerous pokémon awaited in the wild at night. He needed to call for help. He probably had missed calls from Archie, and he needed to reassure him that he was okay, that he just needed someone to take him home.

Dragging himself along the ground, his whole body ached, but he continued, trying to ignore the stabbing pain on his shoulder and leg. With one final push, Maxie grabbed the backpack and rushed to open it. Camerupt’s pokéball was inside, as well as a water bottle, some spare clothing... and his MultiNav. He held it somewhat relieved, but froze in panic as it didn’t turn on.

“No. No, no, no, please, don’t do this to me,” he begged at the device, bumping it, checking that the battery was in place – but to no use. It had to have ran out of battery or broken during the fall, but the case was that it wasn’t working. His breath becoming irregular, he reached for his pokéball and released Camerupt. The pokémon growled in joy as he was let out of it, but quickly became worried as his owner hugged his neck and buried his face in his fur.

“It’s okay, Camerupt, it’s okay. But we need to get out of here.” He petted his orange fringe as he spoke, calming the pokémon, who looked as frightened as Maxie himself was. “I can’t move, but I need you to find a way out of this cave and- and look for help, look for anyone, and then bring them back here. Can you do that?”

Camerupt slowly nodded, having understood everything. He hated to leave his beloved trainer alone in such state, but he was aware of the seriousness of the situation, so he set out. Maxie looked as the pokémon headed for the back of the cave in hopes of finding an exit, watching as it got lost in the dark. He was alone again. How he wished he had brought also the rest of his pokémon team to accompany him and maybe distract him from the terrible thoughts that haunted his mind at the moment.

“What if I don’t make it out of this?” he thought, a lump forming on his throat. "What if no one comes, and I stay here a few more days until I..." he couldn’t even bring himself to finish that process of thinking. No, he had to stay strong. He had to make it no matter what.

"Think clearly, Maxie. Don't give up so easily," he said, in an attempt to cheer himself up, talking out loud. "Hell, they may even be on their way right now! Surely Archie ha-"

He suddenly stopped, unable to keep talking.

Archie. There was so much he needed to tell him yet. All of a sudden, all the times he had said “I love you”, all the times they had kissed... all those times didn’t seem to be enough. Feeling his stomach churn up, Maxie wiped his watery eyes with his sleeve and shifted in a way that he was comfortable – the most comfortable one could feel with a broken leg and a wounded shoulder while laying on the hard ground. He prepared himself to stay the night. Maybe he’ll find comfort in his sleep, maybe it’ll clear his mind up a bit.

It wasn’t really cold, yet, by the time he fell asleep, he could feel his whole body trembling. 

* * *

Running. He was running. The streets were empty, barely enlightened by a few flickering street lamps. Archie could feel his heart beat loudly, almost aching, and tears run down his face, but he didn’t care. He had to reach the rescue services base, he _had_ to find him.

Minutes ago, he had called Courtney and Tabitha in hopes that one of them knew what had happened to Maxie. Of course, and being so late at night, he had been greeted with displeased grumbles which soon became alarmed questions that remained unanswered. Freezing in panic, he had rushed out of the house. His MultiNav hadn’t stop ringing, but he ignored it. He didn’t care about anything else at that moment.

Gasping, he could see the lights of the rescue services base, as well as some rangers on duty that passed time chatting near the entrance door and that soon became startled by the running man who desperately cried for help.

Breathless, it took some minutes for the rangers to calm him down and have him clearly tell them about his situation. Archie’s voice was beginning to break down by the end of his explanation, the rangers and some paramedics rushing to the rescue helicopter.

“Wait,” said Archie, standing up from the chair they had made him sit on, “lemme go with you.”

"I'm so sorry, sir," a nurse replied in the middle of the ruckus of getting the helicopter ready, "but I'm afraid you will have to wait here." She explained, trying to coax the man into sitting down again and calm down. "You can rely on our rescue services' experience an-"

"I CAN'T JUST SIT AROUND HERE DOIN' NOTHING!" Archie roared, opposing resistance to the arms that were pushing him down. It was an easy task, given that the nurse was rather small and couldn't handle a taller and much more muscular man, but it wouldn't be so easy against the ranger that was running towards them, alerted by the shouting and the struggling. Finally unhanding himself from the nurse, he sprinted away as fast as he could before the ranger could catch him. He needed to reach the helicopter before it took off.

The propeller filled the place with a deafening sound, and the wind the spinning blades were causing rendered walking a hard task. Still, Archie managed to make himself clear to the rescue team inside the vehicle, waving his hands frantically as he approached it.

"Please, I need to go! Lemme go with you, I have to find him, I _need_ to!" The engine lowered its intensity, making clearer his words.

"Haven't you heard the nurse?" Spoke one of the rangers, opening the lateral door and pushing her hair out of her face. "Leave it to us, it will be better if you just stay here and try to calm d-"

" _Please_." pleaded Archie one more time. "Last time I saw him, he was- we were so angry at each other we didn't even want to talk, and it was my fault!" He swallowed, his voice cracking and water filling up his eyes. "I need to see him. I won't forgive myself if I... if I lose him _again_."

He finally broke down, clenching his teeth and miserably trying to hold back impotent tears as the ranger, touched, stared at him. Somehow putting everything into words made the situation actually feel _real_. He was finally understanding that it wasn't some kind of nightmare. No, he became fully aware of the situation, and continued whimpering until he became startled by a hand on his shoulder.

"Come with us." The ranger, who had hopped from the helicopter, gently placed her arms on his and guided him as both climbed up the vehicle. 

Whipping his tears, he slowly nodded and muttered a honest "Thank you."

* * *

Maxie woke up with a jolt, drenched in sweat and panting heavily. A nightmare had awakened him in the worst way possible, even if he couldn't exactly recall what he had dreamed.

Sighing, he looked up to the sky through the crack in the rock ceiling. It was still nighttime, and definitely colder than when he fell asleep. Looking at his watch, he realized that almost three hours and a half had passed since he fell asleep. Trembling, he noticed the rumble of his stomach. He hadn't eaten anything since breakfast last morning, and, planning on having lunch somewhere else, he hadn't brought any food with him. Maxie mentally reprimanded himself for being so reckless. What was he thinking? Oh, that's right, he wasn't thinking clearly when he set off in the morning because he was still angry at his husband.

That thought felt like a punch to the gut. He couldn't have just... could he? "No, I don't blame him, of course I don't," he assured himself. "That's not his fault." Suddenly, he felt his hunger slacken, finding it even difficult to swallow. That thought had filled him up with remorse.

Shaking his head, the redhead went on to check his injuries. The tourniquet on his shoulder seemed to be working - the cloth was drenched in blood from the wound, but at least his arm wasn't a weird shade of purple, just a bit reddened. Good news for a change, he thought with bitterness. It could definitely be worse, he pondered, trying to move his bruised leg - no, to no use, it still hurt. He didn't even bother with the scratches on the rest of his body, as they didn't seem to burn like they did at first.

Still not relieved, he lay down again on the floor. In a few hours the sun would rise again, and the Jagged Pass would be visited again by picnickers and mountaineers. Chances would be that someone would discover him. Yeah, all of that in a few hours time...

Bracing himself, his mind wandered again and returned to Archie. He missed him so much. Two nights he had slept without him and he already missed his warm arms around his body, hugging him from behind while laying in bed, his hand running softly through his hair, his chest moving up and down while sleeping peacefully next to him.

He felt a tear stream down his face; his eyes burned. Loneliness was slowly consuming him. He hugged himself tighter to shoo that horrible feeling away. He wanted to see him, to apologise for everything and bury his face on his chest. He didn't want that overwhelming feel of being in charge of everything, like he always felt the need to be, or apparenting strenght when he was clearly running out of it. He didn't want to fake that "Great Maxie" facade anymore. He just wanted to feel small for a change, he wanted to cry.

And, knowing that nobody could hear him, he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! The waiting didn't took too much, huh? Anyways, hope you enjoyed Chapter 2.


	3. Clarity

A helicopter flew over the rugged hills of the Jagged Pass. The small hours of the morning seemed eternal to all of his passengers - neither of them had had a calm night. Archie was one of them, and looked specially nervous as he screamed frantically on his portable device over the noise of the wind around him.

 "...and now I'm with the rescue services, but we don't know anything for sure yet. We'll land in a few minutes near Mount Chimney and there we'll start looking for him."

One of the rangers in the cabin gave his partners a concerned look when the word "we" was mentioned. No one actually had the nerve to tell that man that they had allowed him to come, but taking part in the rescue mission seemed a bit more complicated, so they all stayed quiet as he kept talking on his MultiNav.

"Okay, Matt, I gotta call Courtney now. Almost had no time to properly explain everything back then and she must be worried too." Archie explained, his face a strange gesture somewhere in between anxiety and worry.

"Seems about right. Good luck then, bro. You'll find him safe and sound, I'm sure 'bout it."

 _Beep_. The conversation was over. 

"Still gotta make one last call. Is... is that okay?" Archie asked the rescuers.

"You'd better hurry up. Signal gets weaker as we approach Mount Chimney."

"Is just a couple of minutes, alright?" Promised the tall man as he hurried to switch the device on again and dialed the woman's number.

While he talked to the former Magma Admin - half apologizing from what had happened before, half providing a decent explanation - the rangers decided instead to entertain themselves with the breathtaking aerial views of the beautiful region of Hoenn. Mount Chimney was the most prominent geographical feature in the main island, but thousands of other interesting places weren't overshadowed by the volcano. From acres of wild jungle crossed by miles of raging rivers, to the wold dunes of the desert, the region's rich environment spread beneath their eyes in a wonderful array of diversity.

An assortment of pokémon also characterised their beautiful region, one of the rangers thought as he spotted a Camerupt slowly ambling its way out of a cave. Wait a minute... Could it be? He squinted into the dark to check if it was his mind deceiving him, but the bright orange fur of the creature, which glowed under the faint light the boiling magma inside his rocky humps, made no room for mistake.

"There... aren't any wild Camerupt in this area, are there?"

His sudden comment made everyone in the helicopter turn their heads. Most of them looked confused or curious, and then it was Archie. He dropped the MultiNav as he heard the name of the pokémon, his expression blank as he realised what was going on.

"N-no... There aren't... There aren't!" He yelled as he stood up, careful not to hit his head on the low roof. "It's Maxie's! It's gotta be his Camerupt!"

The rangers threw up their arms in an attempt to get Archie to sit down again and stop unbalancing the weight on the vehicle with his harsh movements.

"Okay, alright, we're gonna land as soon as possible, just calm down, sir!" One of the rescuers stated, firm as she made quick gestures to the pilot.

Fortunately, there was a nearby spot where they could land without further complications, just a few meters ahead from the cave entrance and the pokémon. As soon as the helicopter touched the land, Archie promptly jumped off, ignoring the shouts of the rangers, who chased after him. But he didn't pay attention to them, his mind was only focused on one thing at the moment.

Panting, he reached the clearing where they had seen Camerupt for the first time, and was about to approach the creature before he stopped, vacillating. His relationship with his husband's pokémon wasn't  precisely... amicable, he thought as he caressed the hand the creature had once bitten out of spite. No, the pokémon definitely hadn't, unlike his owner, forgiven Archie, as he seemed to still hold a grudge against the man who had nearly wrought havoc upon the region and had antagonized his master during so much time.

That's why Archie was surprised to say the least when the pokémon ran towards him and began crying, distressed.

"Woah there, boy, uh..." Archie stuttered, patting his head with a tremulous hand. Could the pokémon really understand him? He wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, Archie thought, carefully removing his hand from the orange fur on his head as Camerupt bared its teeth. Footsteps approached running as he noticed a few cuts on the pokémon's skin. Had it battled alone against some Zubat? Had he tried to protect Maxie from something worse?

"Listen here, you gotta tell me- you gotta guide me to where Maxie is, alright?"

At the mention of his owner's name, the pokémon huffed in contempt, as if he had suddenly remembered he still didn't want him around his beloved trainer.

"Don't do it for me if you don't wanna, but do it for him, okay?".

Camerupt seemed conflicted, but he couldn't ignore his master's instructions, and he was sure that the sight of that awful, fish-lover man would surely make him happy. To his discontent, he growled and turned around just as the exhausted rangers reached the area, gasping for air after the chasing.

"Sir, don’t…"

"Don’t do that again" growled the stern girl who had tried to shush him back when he lost his calm some minutes before.

"He... he wants to guide us!" Archie stated, blatantly ignoring the reprimand from the rescue team. He was already halfway into the narrow cave entrance.

"You're going to need an equipment to go in there." Spoke calmly one of the boys. "We know this area, the floor is very unstable, and it can collapse at any moment. It would be wiser to wait for the speleology division, who ca-"

" _Listen_. My husband is down there, he needs help, and I'm not going to leave him on his own. I'm gonna go in wether you like it or not."

The former Aqua leader spoke in a dead, scary tone that made everyone shudder in awe. He wouldn't have though of having to use his intimidating voice once again, but the situation was dire, and there was no time. Without saying anything else, he turned around and entered the cave.

"You're _not_ going any further." The stern ranger spoke loudly.

Archie froze in the spot, and turned his head slowly. 

"Not alone." She kept saying, her stiff face softening a bit. She took out a harness out of her backpack and threw it to the bigger man.

* * *

Cold. He was cold and trembling, and his skin was at least three shades paler than usual. His arm was an awful dark shade of purple by that time. Screaming in pain, he untied the soaked cloth that stopped blood from coming out of his forearm. The man sighed in relief as he felt the pressure fade out, pulse beating fast on his numb arm and blood quickly dripping from the wound.

"Just a few minutes so I can feel something again. Then I'll tie it again." He assured himself mentally. He went back to distracting himself playing with the rim of his glasses, or carving a small rock with a glass shard. Anything to avoid falling asleep again, he wouldn't go back to that again.

His stomach rumbled. He only had had water for the last hours - he wasn't sure how much more he would last before passing out and not waking up again. The thought sent a shiver down his spine, and he quickly shook his head and braced himself to chase away the cold sensation. If only he could hear his voice one last time...

"Archie..." Maxie muttered ever so slightly in a reedy voice. He softly lidded his eyes.

"...xie!?"

Oh, perfect. Now he was hallucinating. A very vivid delusion, indeed - he could hear his raspy, deep voice echoing through the rocky cavern, like it was some kind of twisted joke of his imagination.

"M-Maxie!?"

Now that was weird. Why had his voice turned so feminine all of a sudden? He opened his eyes slowly, squinting into the dark. But he wasn't able to keep them open for long when a white light flashed right before his eyes from the distance.

"MAXIE!" The shouting grew louder, and it sounded accompanied by footsteps.

"Archie?" He called, his voice barely louder than before.

"Ranger Williams!" Archie cried out as Archie's Crobat, who had heard the whisper with her far more developed ear, screeched in alert at his owner. "I think she has something!"

Williams and Camerupt promptly followed the man, who had started running behind him and the speeding bat pokémon. After a race that lasted few seconds, but seemed like an eternity, his flashlight ran into a human figure that lay on the floor.

"Max..." Archie uttered as he stopped dead. The redhead was there, right in front of his eyes; battered, deathly-pale and breathing with difficulty; but alive.

Archie rushed to his side, kneeling on the rocky ground and embracing his husband tight in his strong arms.

"Maxie! Oh, Max, I... I thought I wouldn't... Oh Arceus, I feared the worst!

The redhead sighed in relief into the hug, grimacing at the pain he still felt in his arm, but he didn't care. He was there. He was holding him. Shortly after, though, Archie pulled back and went on to check his injuries better.

"My, my..." He murmured, covering his mouth with his hand after getting a better view of his state. “What… Damn, you look awful!” he said, adrenaline and worry rushing trough his body.

“You... you aren’t precisely... a sight for sore eyes either.” he joked, a small grin on his face as he watched his husband process the comeback and grit his teeth in frustration. Somehow, just having him around had make him feel alive again.

“Y-you think this is the moment for smart-assery, you moron!? You’ve had me worried sick, I… didn’t know what I would do if...” he sobbed, "if something bad had happened to you!”

Maxie wiped his grin off his face, and instead replaced it with a guilty look.

“Archie, I…”

“ _Ahem_.” Ranger Williams cleared her throat out loud. “I… don’t wanna interrupt this _beautiful_ moment, but I really think we should get going.” She announced, her face a bit red as she  pointed at the rest of the rescue team, who waited by the edge of the subsidence; a stretcher had been attached to the helicopter and it was ready to lift the injured man out of the hollow.

“We’re going to take him to the nearest hospital. You can stand by him during the flight but I _highly_ doubt they’ll allow you,” she directed a severe glare at Archie, “into the OR. So try to be reasonable this time, okay?”

Archie nodded in agreement. He and Williams helped Maxie climb onto the stretcher, careful not to damage him further. Camerupt growled in concern for his owner as he watched him wince in pain at the contact of his damaged limbs with the new surface.

"Hey buddy..." Maxie soothed the pokémon, petting his head softly. "You've done a great work. Thanks," he said as he noticed the cuts and wounds on Camerupt's skin. "Thanks for everything. You deserve a good rest." The redhead then asked Archie to get him his pokéball, and, in a flash of red light, the pokémon was gone.

As the helicopter took off, Maxie half lidded his eyes, letting the fresh morning breeze ruffle his hair. The sky, still starry, was starting to grow light. The east, dyed a pale shade of rose, contrasted wonderfully with the dark blue of the west. After the brief ascension, when he was taken inside the helicopter, he waited patiently for Archie and Williams to come out of the cavern.

“Archie…” he muttered as he saw the bigger man’s silhouette approach out of the corner of the eye.

Using every bit of his remaining energy, he reached for his hand when his husband was near enough.

“I'm sorry.”

And then he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh I struggled to find a suitable title for this chapter, but suddenly, Clarity by Zedd popped up on my playlist and I remembered how much I liked this song for hardenshipping so tadaa
> 
> Hope you're enjoying the fic so far! Next chapter is the last one.


	4. And I'm Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (title shamelessly taken from PMMM soundtrack, sorry it doesn't even fit the story hhhhh)

Maxie woke up to the pleasing, slight sound of breeze blowing gently through curtains and the clean but sterile smell of antiseptics. He was awake, yes, but his eyes remained still closed, for his eyelids seemed to weigh as if they had turned to lead. A feeling of grogginess greeted him when he finally decided to open his eyes; black spots seemed to dance through the white, blurry room. He was lying on an equally white bed, a plastic wire was injected on his right arm and the rest of his limbs were bandaged; he was in a hospital.

The sudden touch of a callous, big hand against his own startled him. Still laying on the pillow so his headache wouldn't become worse, he turned his head slowly to the source of the feeling.

Of course, it was Archie's hand. The man was sitting in a weathered-looking couch on the bedside. His body was slouched forward, bent against the bed; his head rested on the mattress, close to his side; and his hand held softly onto Maxie's.

The redhead inhaled deeply, then exhaled very slowly. He stared at his peaceful face as he slept. He seemed to breathe with difficulty through parted lips, due to the forced position he was resting in. His hair, usually slicked back in a casual fashion, looked scruffy, messy, and Maxie could have sworn his incipient greying seemed even more evident that way. Overall, he looked tired, worn off; but at peace.

Maxie ran his thumb in circles over the bronze skin of his husband's hand while he delighted himself on the sight. Soon enough, though, the sound of footsteps behind the door brought him back to reality.

Whoever was outside pulled the handle of the door room and swung it open. "Probably a nurse," thought Maxie. He didn't really feel in the mood for a check-up, so he groaned and lay his head back, pretending to be asleep. But, with eyes still half open, he saw to his surprise that the visitor was, in fact, a much more familiar person.

"Hey, Archie, are you oka-"

"Tabitha?" Maxie called, eyes wide open.

"Oh." The boy stopped short when he heard his former boss' voice. "Oh, Maxie! Thank Arceus, you're finally awake!" The former Magma admin sighed in relief as he briskly approached the bed.

"Where... where am I? Wait... How long have I been sleeping?" Maxie asked. He had so many questions on his mind, and none of them could wait.

"Mauville. They brought you here at five-ish in the morning, and now," he checked his watch, "now it's almost half past six."

"Have I been sleeping for two hours?"

"Half past six _P.M_ , Maxie." Tabitha clarified, watching as Maxie bit his lip, running his good hand through his red hair. He grimaced at how dirty it felt to the touch. He could definitely use a very long shower.

"They're not going to let me go, are they." Maxie said. It wasn't a question. He knew what doctors would say, he knew how they were like. And, judging by the bandages that covered his upper arm and part of his chest and shoulder plates, and the casts on both his right leg and left arm, he could forget about the idea of going back home soon.

"Well, we're all waiting for the official diagnostic, but I think you have a general idea of wha- wait, I forgot! They don't know you're awake!" He exclaimed, rushing towards the door.

"Tabitha, wait! Who else is here?"

"All of us, Maxie. Shelly, Courtney, Matt - well, he left a few hours ago to pick up the kids from school - but we've been here since Archie called us in the morning."

Maxie breathed in, feeling lighthearted all of the sudden. Everyone had been there all the time... for him?

"And Archie..."

"He's been with you all the time. He refused to leave the room, even when we suggested we take turns to watch over you so he could get some sleep." Tabitha explained, glancing over at the asleep man. "He hasn't been resting for too long, though. Last time we saw him awake was over half an hour ago."

"I see..." Maxie replied, covering his mouth with his good hand while looking at Archie, who muttered some gibberish in dreams.

"It's better to let him sleep. Though he's gonna kill us if he finds up you woke up and nobody told him." Tabitha chuckled shyly. He then exclaimed, "Oh, right! I was going to tell the others! Excuse me for a while, I'll be right back-"

"Tabitha, before you go... can you... I mean, could you leave me alone for a while? I... need to think." Maxie muttered, trying his best not to sound like he didn't want to talk to anyone else at the moment.

"...of course, Maxie. I'm sure you need a while to process everything that has happened. They'll understand."

"Thank you."

Tabitha left the room, careful not to make noise when closing the door.

Maxie leaned back, placing his hand on Archie's head. He had been all night and all day awake... Watching over him? Maxie couldn't help but smile slightly.

How could he had been so stupid? He couldn't remember the cause of the fight at that point, surely it didn't even matter from the start. What was important is that he had been there and that he was still there, always by his side.

He ran his fingers through the scruffy hair beneath his hand ever so softly. After a while, Archie began to move his head and interrupt his rhythmic breathing; he was waking up.

"No... Go back to sleep, shhh..." Maxie whispered, trying to lull his husband back to the rest he needed. But it was to no use, for his voice seemed to be what he needed to come back to reality after his brief nap.

"M-Maxie?" He murmured, dazed by grogginess. "Maxie!" He shouted, fully awake by the point he realised his lover had woken up too. "How- how long have you bee-"

"Just a few minutes, don't worry. Listen, I'm alright, it's you who needs to rest now so go back to sleep."

"Oh Arceus, Maxie!" The brunette exclaimed, ignoring his advice, jumping off of the tiny armchair and hugging Maxie tight. "Thank Arceus you're alright!"

"Ouch! Arm!" Maxie screamed when his strong arms crushed his injured shoulder.

"Oh!" Archie pulled back immediately. "So-sorry." He apologised sheepishly.

Maxie reassured him that he was okay, and went for another, softer hug. Archie touched him as if he were made of glass, as if he could break him in a thousand pieces. He didn't really mean to hurt his husband anymore. He began sniveling silently, resting his head on Maxie's good shoulder.

"Max... I'm so sorry, Maxie..." The bigger man sobbed, his voice muffled.

"Told you it was okay, huh? Just don't get to excited with physical contact an-"

"No. About everything. Listen," he said, intertwining his fingers with his husband's own, "I don't know if you remember... that last thing you said in the helicopter before you passed out, but I don't want you to feel guilty about any of this. It was my damn fault, I should have gone with you in the first place. None of this would have happened. None of this _should_ have happened."

Maxie gulped down and looked away, avoiding those big, blue eyes that looked at him full of sadness and remorse.

"Shit... What have I done? Fuck, Maxie you could ha-"

"Enough." the redhead stated bluntly, and then pressed his lips against Archie's. The kiss was short, chaste, but it served for what Maxie intended to do; make him shut up. "Enough with the self-pity. It's not like you at all."

"Max..."

"You know what was what made me keep going while I was in that cave? Knowing that you were out there looking for me, having the certainty that you wouldn't let me down when I _really_ needed it. And... now you've spent all the day watching over me. I couldn't have asked for more."

A tear rolled down Archie's cheek as he stared at his husband, touched by the little talk. Maxie smiled faintly, wiping the water off his face with the bedsheets, and giving him a small peck on the lips.

"We're both helpless idiots, aren't we?"

Archie nodded, smiling back at him. "We are."

"Promise me you're not going to be this pathetic from now on." Maxie added in a more playful, almost snarky tone.

"As long as you don't get _that_ emotional ever again." Archie replied, faking heaves as the redhead punched him softly in the arm.

One step at a time, everything would eventually return to normality between both of them. And with that thought in mind, among laughter and small pecks, both fell asleep again, smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was all! Thanks for reading this, I appreciate your support!


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